


A Study In Love

by pcctheant



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Arranged Marriage, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), But if politics were more like a high school drama, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Healer Adam (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Kinda, Knight Shiro (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Allura (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Politics?, Prince Keith (Voltron), Protective Keith (Voltron), They're both messes who are we kidding, Unrequited Love, and high class
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-07 03:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17952848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pcctheant/pseuds/pcctheant
Summary: Lance didn't want to get married to Keith. It was simple. Keith only saw him as a child. Immature and stupid. He would be lying if he said that that didn't hurt him. Thankfully, he was good at lying. There was absolutely no way that he would ever fall in love with a barbarian like Keith. Besides, he was only the son of a lord of Altea.





	1. Lance

Tall and proud. How arrogant. The Galran prince was ignorant and crass. Utterly self-centered and moronic. It didn’t help that Lance was engaged to conceited prince. Pidge and Hunk didn’t help either. They were always urging him to accept his betrothed and just get married. They pleaded him to see the benefits it would have for both kingdoms. However, Lance knew that those pleas were utterly meaningless seeing as his best friend was already set to be married to the Crown Prince Lotor. It also helped that Allura didn’t mind the prince and enjoyed his presence often. Lance despised the Galran prince. He was reckless and news often spread of how he would risk battle plans and still end up coming out victorious. Such actions shouldn’t always bear good results. 

However, what discouraged Lance’s agreement with the engagement more was the fact that he was a hopeless romantic. Days could be spent with Lance wandering around in his own mind hoping for someone to love. Being forced to marry someone was perhaps the worst torture Lance would have to endure. There was no way he would be able to fall in love with the brash prince. It pained Lance to think that, somewhere out there, there may be his one true love. His fiancé would never love him either. 

It was made clear what Prince Keith thought of him. He thought that the Altean was childish. Foolish and naïve. Stupid and utterly blind. It was quite amusing to think of how similar their thoughts of each other were. Keith never gave up the chance to negatively criticize Lance’s actions and doubt his decisions. He was not afraid to question Lance’s place as a diplomat. He saw Lance as a weakling who would never be able to defend themselves with a sword. He completely ignored the fact that Lance could perfectly handle a gun and take down several men at once with it. Keith was all about duty and honor. He would never care for Lance’s feelings. His happiness would not be routed in such a person as Lance. It was made clear that Prince Keith didn’t love. There was no that he liked romantically. The closest person to him was his mentor, Shiro, who was happily married to his husband, Adam. There had, of course, been rumors centered around the three, but it was made very clear that Prince Keith had no romantic interest in anyone. Especially Lance. It terrified him to think that he would have to marry a brute. Of course, this was all before they had met. 

Their first meeting had been rather accidental. Unplanned and unprofessional as Pidge deemed it. Lance had been scaling up a staircase when one of their traps had scared him, and he had started to fall backwards. Coincidentally, Keith happened to be walking by at the same time while on the way to a meeting with Lance’s parents. Thanks to Keith’s quick reflexes, Lance was saved from imminent collision with the floor by his arms. At that point, Lance had been dazed and could only respond with, “Guess I really fell for you.” That then caused Keith to drop him on the floor in disgust. Clearly it had not been a good first impression. 

Later, it was revealed to them that Keith had volunteered to guard Lance in an effort to keep him safe and get to know him better. His attempts at growing closer usually ended up creating more tension between them. Keith would often drag Lance to the training deck in the castle and force him to watch Keith train. The only time they were apart was when Lance had lessons, scheduled appointments, or they were sleeping. Otherwise, Keith would stick to Lance all the time. It frustrated him to no end. Keith had a rather disagreeable nature and was very easy to provoke. With anybody else this would’ve been simply hilarious to Lance. With Keith, it was annoying and was most definitely not entertaining. This brought Lance to where he was now. In his friend’s quarters complaining about him. 

“Allura! Please! I can’t take it! The prince is a barbarian! He would rather bury himself in training that a walk in the garden. He has no sensitivity and would never care for me. His disposition is short-tempered and volatile. How could he be a leader? A king? A leader of country must be diplomatic. That has been taught from a young age to royalty no matter their nationality. However, this heathen seems to be unable to know this. He would rather strike first than reduce casualties on both sides. I almost believe the rumors of the court! How could mother and father engage me to him? It’s not like we need the marriage seeing as you and Lotor are getting along quite well. Wouldn’t it have been more advantageous if I were to be married to someone else? Preferably someone who would actually care for me. He has already made it clear that he loathes me and thinks of me as just another duty for him to fulfill. He is unrefined and does not care for anyone. I couldn’t even get close to his mentor when I wanted to ask about him. The prince simply just growled at me and told to back off! The audacity! It will surely one day bring our countries into trouble. How would he manage the Galran Empire? If I am to be wed to him, I demand that he at least show me some respect! He has never given me more than the bare minimum of his attention. He would never love me!” 

“Lance, perhaps he does not respect you because you do not give him respect either.” 

“As if! I had been nothing but kind the first few days we were together, yet he ignored me. You know that I am very much a romantic. There is nothing I would love more than to be courted with gifts and compliments. Deep conversations that would lead to me falling in love. With him, it is utterly impossible. It is no more than a mere fantasy at this point! His recklessness is a problem as well! How do I know that he will not abandon me on first sight of a far-off enemy? He said that he would guard me, yet that makes me distrust him even more.” 

“It is rather strange that you talk about him so often. The only other time I have heard you blabber on for so long about a topic as trivial as this was when you were infatuated with someone. Perhaps that is also the case with Prince Keith?” 

“It couldn’t be! There is no way that I would fall for someone who has hair as ridiculous as that! His eyes are most certainly not magnificent even if they are an intriguing mix of purple and grey. And his strength could never be attractive! He may have certain moments where his actions could be considered cute, but his attitude is absolutely infuriating! He is so cold that it leaves me with no hope that he would have a warm and vulnerable side to him that he would show to me! There is no way that he would ever come to love me!” 

“Ah, but you never said you couldn’t fall in love with him.” 

So, he didn’t. And there was only one reason why he didn’t say it. It hurt to say, but Lance was in love with Keith. No matter, how impossible it was. It explained so much. The longing in his heart, the tug of attraction, and at some point he had begun to find himself admiring the Galran prince. It left him shaken. For a moment he stopped pacing and stared at the wall.

“Quiznak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the part where Lance stares at the wall imagine him looking at a camera like Jim from The Office. This is just a repost of one of the Klance AU Month prompts I did. I do plan to expand on it and for once I have a solid plan for future chapters.
> 
> Please leave comments and criticism.  
> Thank you.


	2. Keith

The Altean was resilient to all of his attempts to court him. Lance continued to reject his efforts and the gifts that Keith sent proved to be ineffective. Each time he had to hold back the temptation to growl in frustration in fear of scaring away the young lord. 

Originally, it had been a plan to achieve a strong alliance between the Galran Empire and the Kingdom of Altea. However, the plan was beginning to fail. Failure was something very unfamiliar to Keith and he was determined to make ends meet. 

He had planned to show his loyalty by pledging to be the lord’s guard. It placed him closer to the Altean, but it caused Lance to treat him coldly. He assumed that Lance thought he was weak, so he arranged to show him how he trained. These training sessions only seemed to make his impression on Lance worse. Courting him had proved to be harder than he thought. Keith had presumed that such a well-known flirt like Lance would eagerly accept the attention from Keith. With each step he took forwards, he was dragged backwards two. Getting the approval of the monarchs had already been hard enough, but the young Altean was stubborn. Lance seemed to always hide from Keith and the amount of time he spent looking for him was usually enough to make them constantly late for an appointment. This caused other members of the court to look down on them. They saw Lance as a childish figure who would never be able to hold power. They saw Keith as an irresponsible barbarian who would never have the sensibilities to contribute to court. This infuriated the Galran prince. Whispers of how the frivolous Altean and the reckless Galran spread throughout the court. No one could tell that they were wrong. Only Keith knew. Lance was more than just a flirt. He was a skilled diplomat with a fine sense of humor. His charisma was calculated to get him the result he wanted. However, several refused to give him the credit that he deserved. He also had a strange honesty that intrigued Keith. It created such a charming character that Keith could help but feel himself falling. 

Somehow that didn’t feel so bad. 

So, he changed his plans. He began to open up a bit. He talked more. Joked around a bit with the lord. Lance's laughs were melodious and addicting. The sounds he produced were utterly adorable, and Keith found himself smitten. With each action he fell for Lance more and more. The young lord seemed to have warmed up to him that it was soon that Keith planned to start flirting. He could only begin to imagine the delicious blush that would overtake Lance’s face when he got to that phase. The subtle glances, the sultry looks, and all of his attention were for Lance. Only he would try to reject it. That much was destined, but Keith was known for being determined. It would be a short time before the two boys were in too deep. 

It had started small. Keith couldn’t have come on too strong in fear of scaring away his precious. A quick, timed glance towards the Altean. A small smirk on his face. They had met like usual, a greeting and joke. However, he had planned to whisk Lance away to the Royal Garden. He had begged and pleaded Lance’s best friend Allura for access. After many quintants, she conceded, and Keith arranged for a light picnic. Shiro teased him about going too far, but a quick word from his husband shut him up. In retrospect, Keith was a slight bit ashamed at the amount of help he had to receive from the older couple on courting. Their story had most definitely been a different and special case. Still their efforts to guide Keith had paid off. 

The garden was, without a doubt, beautiful. But Keith couldn’t focus on the different flowers when Lance was right in front of him. It seemed that the lord enjoyed his company and was more willing to talk to him than he had been at the beginning of his courtship. His blue eyes sparkled with excitement and the childish look on his face conveyed his glee. To Keith there was nothing more beautiful. They walked along the path for a while before stopping at a field to lay down their lavender checkered blanket. The picnic basket that Keith carried was surprisingly light considering the amount of food Hunk, the head chef, had been able to stuff in there. Dish after dish exited the basket and among them was Lance’s favorite food. It was a rare sight to see a dish from Earth considering it was one of the more underdeveloped planets in the galaxy, but there were rumors that Lance had spent a part of his childhood in one of the countries there. It had taken a while to pry out the truth from Lance. It seemed that the Altean was rather fond of the small planet. His favorite dish, flan, had been prepared in a Cuban style which, Lance confessed, made him a tad bit homesick for Varadero Beach. The sweet desert was a beautiful golden brown, but Keith found that it could not compare to the wonderful tan of Lance’s skin. 

“Keith! Thank you so much! This is great!” Lance laughed while playing in the flowers. The grass around him rustled in the wind. He was always mindful of the cleanliness of his clothes, but at this moment he seemed to have thrown caution to the wind. Dirt started to gather at the ankles of his pants, but he didn’t care. There simply wasn’t any reason to. 

“You’re welcome.” Seeing Lance’s smile had made Keith feel proud. Especially of how hard he had to work to get here. A smirk overtook his place as he reveled in a feeling that could only be described as victory. This perfect moment would forever be in his heart. It would only be his and Lance’s. Only them. 

Then the bombs came. It hadn’t made sense. Prince Lotor had ordered an attack on Altea when Allura had refused his courtship upon hearing his history of abusing his partner. The 5 Lions of Altea sprang into action. Each of the guardians attacked swiftly, but that didn’t matter to Keith. His only goal was to protect Lance. He was the only thing that mattered in that moment. Quickly he grabbed Lance and ran. He could only hope that they wouldn’t run into any soldiers. 

It seemed that luck was not on his side. The hallways in front of the infirmary had contained Galran soldiers. Keith had surprised them, but they immediately fired back. The heavy barrage of gunshots made it hard to protect Lance. They ducked into an alcove for cover. However, in their haste for shelter Lance had been shot in the arm. Seeing the blood of his beloved enraged Keith. He was left with only the urge to destroy. No one was allowed to harm Lance. Absolutely no one. With a ferocious cry he threw himself into the battle. He swiftly dodged attacks while striking with his sword. When he had summoned it, he did not know. That did not matter. All that mattered were the enemies before him. The enemies that had dared to harm Lance. His Lance. At last he had cleared out the hallway unconscious and dead Galra lay at his feet. Blood dripped from his sword and it had stained his uniform. But Lance was safe. That was the only thing that was important. He walked back to the alcove and picked Lance up in his arms. He ran to the infirmary and opened the door. They would need to hurry so they could stop the blood from leaving his body. The healers that had hidden there were frightened by his presence and one look at his clothes made them freeze in fear. Suddenly, Adam and Shiro burst through the doors. Adam took one look at Lance and rushed to his side. The young lord was in good hands now. Keith began to start swaying. The room started to spin. Maybe a nap would be nice. 

“Lance.” 

A brief call for his loved one. 

Then, he collapsed on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For once, I actually got a second chapter done. I was a bit doubtful on how I was going to end it, and I kinda planned on having a happy ending. Then I thought about writing a part for Shiro and Adam, and I had to find a way to connect them. I had originally planned for Lotor to stay good, but betrayal might be one of the most interesting things to write. This is still bad. Sorry.
> 
> Please leave comments and criticism.  
> Thanks.


	3. Adam

Lance was dying. His quintessence was being sucked out by some mysterious poison. Adam could feel the light of his soul slowly fading. The wound had been closed, but the effects of the gunshot seemed to reach deeper than Adam had initially thought. At the rate that Lance was healing they would only be able to take a chance and just barely scrape by. Except that would leave Keith’s boyfriend in an almost permanent state of paralysis. It made no sense. For now, Lance was put under a coma in order to slow the poison down.

“Takashi! Get the Holts!”

“Which ones? The Seniors or Juniors?”

“THE JUNIORS. Obviously! Do you want this to be awkward?”

“Alright, alright, I’m going.”

“Giselia, you keep watch over Keith. If he wakes up alert me!”

Swiftly, Adam walked over to the nearest table and put down his glasses. It was going to be a long operation.

“Adam!”

“Pidge? Why is Hunk with you?”

“That doesn’t matter! What do you need?”

“We’re going to have to contain the poison. For now, we should see if we can gather it in the stomach and then give him an emetic. That should make him vomit the poison up. However, we need to make sure that the poison doesn’t react negatively to the emetic. That’s where you come in. I’m going to need you to use your magic and identify the components that make up the poison. You will list them out and I’ll work on an emetic.”

“Sure.”

Magic was a hard thing to control. Healing magic especially had always been a fragile affair. Pidge went silent. On her lips were whispered words of an old archaic language. _Ab intus in anima mea mihi visus. Ut stella recipienti pignori obligo._ Orachiton. The star. Stories told of the power Orachiton gave. Scientists couldn’t explain where it came from. Legends say that it came from Oraches and Triteson, the two lovers. They were known to have the purest love in the universe. Both were complete opposites, but they fit together. It was said that every generation there was a couple said to be the reincarnates of the two celestial beings.

Adam had never lost a patient on accident. He would always follow the orders from above. If a patient was supposed to be saved, he would save them. If they were supposed to die, then there was nothing Adam could do. The one time he had refused to follow those orders was for Takashi. He can still remember the dread and panic that filled his chest. The sight of his boyfriend put in a coma. He had looked so peaceful and a normal bystander would be blissfully unaware of the turmoil that took place in his head. Adam could remember hearing the news. The messenger had approached him bravely. He felt something plummet in his chest. He dropped everything and raced to the infirmary. Curing him had been perhaps one of the hardest things he had ever done. He remembers how his hands were shaking and the disgust he felt because of that. He remembers almost losing him when one of the nurses lost concentration during the spell. Shouts soon echoed throughout the room as Adam barked out orders. “TAKASHI. YOU ARE NOT DYING UNTIL I SAY SO. YOU WILL LIVE AND LET ME YELL AT YOU FOR LETTING KEITH NEAR A KNIFE. YOU DON’T LET SIX-YEAR OLDS NEAR KNIVES, TAKASHI. YOU HEAR THAT, TAKASHIT. HELIA, GET AN ANESTHESIA. THIS IS GOING TO HURT.” At the end of the surgery, they were able to cleanse Takashi’s mind of Haggar’s influence and Adam promptly fainted by the side of his bed and almost hit head on the bedpost. He woke up to Takashi’s caring face above him. His eyes were soft, and Adam could feel the love pouring out from them. It was just after this they found out they were that generation’s Oraches and Triteson.

Of course, they couldn’t have known this when they first met. It had been a random encounter in the woods for Adam. For Takashi, it was apparently a planned and failed attempt at flirting. He had set out to collect herbs for royal healer he worked at the time and started to hum. Soon he was waltzing through the forest. Suddenly, another melody joined and harmonized with him. A set of arms appeared behind his back. That was when he was met with a stranger. Back then Takashi had a head of black hair and had not yet gained white hair from stress. As any regular person would do when confronted with an attractive stranger, Adam became very flustered and blushed. Thankfully, Takashi was also awkward. Together they collected the herbs needed while talking. Adam can still hear their first conversation.

“You’re working for a healer?”

“Yep.”

“Wow. I’m training to be a knight.”

“Pff. You’re going to go out and save the kingdom, Mr. Knight?”

“Y-yeah. I mean, it wouldn’t be that bad. Especially, if it means I would be protecting you.” He muttered a little at the end of his words.

“H-heh. H-how smooth of you, Mr. Knight. Are you sure you wouldn’t want a nice girl to hang off of you?”

“No. I think you’d be just fine. Plus, I’m already raising a kid. I’m pretty sure most girls don’t want that and I'm not particularly interested in them.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I mean, I'm what the kids nowadays call 'gay'. And the kid's name is Keith.”

“So....he’s your son?”

“Ye-I mean, no! Keith is kinda like my adopted son. I just took him under my wing after he stole my sword.”

“How old is he?”

“Six.”

Adam may or may not have been surprised.

“How old was he when you met him?” He was almost scared to know the answer.

“Oh, he was three! He accidentally stole my sword and decapitated a flower. Then he made a grave for the flower and killed another flower to put on the grave. It was so cute!”

They had head back to the castle in laughter and giggles.

“I know right! Iverson can go lose an eye for all I care!”

The only thing is that Takashi hadn’t introduced himself. It wasn’t until several movements later that Adam finally found out his name and they talked again. He didn’t know that years later they would be married. Nothing could prepare him for their relationship.

“Adam, I think you can use the regular emetic. There aren’t any ingredients in the poison that would react negatively to it. I’ve already sent Hunk out to get Lance some food goo.”

“Thanks, Pidge. I’ll get to it right now. Make sure that Hunk gets the one with more flavor. I have a feeling Lance will need it.”

After Lance woke up, relief flooded through his entire body. All that was left was to wait for Keith to wake back up. Takashi stood in the corner and looked at the young Altean. Confusion filled Lance’s face as he noticed Keith’s absence.

“Um. Excuse me, but do you know where Keith is?”

Adam pointed to the cot where the Galran prince lay, and Lance's confusion quickly morphed into panic.

“Quiznak! Is he alright?”

“Just exhausted. Killing people does that to you.”

At that moment Keith opened his eyes. Lance stared back and it seemed as if the whole universe was meant to revolve around them. The stars seemed to only be alive for them. The gods sang only of them and for them. That was when Adam knew. They were that generation’s Oraches and Triteson. What a terrifying match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ab intus in anima mea mihi visus.- From the inside of the soul give me sight.  
> I loco pignoris inferiorem et sidus.-To the star I pledge.
> 
> Orachiton is basically the ship name for Oraches and Triteson, that's why the star is named that. One can never underestimate the power of a fandom. I've already have plans for the next chapter and the chapter after that is almost finished (I'm pretty excited about it). Also, if you want an idea for how Shiro approached Adam just watch Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty. 
> 
> Edit:I wrote this in the middle of the night, so I have now revised it and I hope it's better. 3/5/19
> 
> Please leave comments and criticism.  
> Thanks.


	4. Pidge

Among the court, there were always whispers of the Diplomatic Trio. Some were respectful and some were sharp and criticizing. However, no one could doubt that the trio was efficient and balanced unlike some groups that had been sent before. The Diplomatic Trio was made up of surprising group of friends. An  Altean  lord, the head chef, and the genius daughter of the Holts. It made no sense how the three had met. And it made even less sense on how they fit together. Their teamwork was constantly questioned, subtly of course, but it seemed that they would never split.

Pidge was probably the most surprising to see on the team. As the unsociable daughter of a distinguished family, whenever she attended balls court members often ignored and cast her to the side. She was fine with this, but that didn’t mean the blatant show of disrespect didn’t infuriate her. Soon enough she stopped coming to balls and galas altogether in favor of technology. Surprisingly, her parents did nothing to discourage this path and, occasionally, would support her decision. She met Lance while out shopping. He had been in an awful disguise that did a terrible job at hiding his face. Thankfully, the young McClain was not very recognizable. It had taken a quick cloaking device and timing to whisk him away to the nearest alley. Lance had been nothing like how he was in a formal setting. There was no trace of charisma or eloquence in his words. How could such an awkward young man be a diplomat? When questioned about her heritage she lied, he didn’t seem to mind. After she had shown Lance the cloaking device she had built, his eyes had lit up and,  all of a sudden , she could understand his appeal. He had the cover of an honest and naïve young man, but it was obvious there was more hiding in his eyes. A thirst, one could say. A hunger, another would state. A want. It intrigued her. She stuck around to see. Soon enough she found herself friends with the young  Altean . She would watch over, in secret, the meetings between representatives. She was the person who would alert the guard at the first sign of trouble. She was the one who kept Lance and Hunk safe. Her station in the trio was always under suspicion. Many members of the court wondered what she contributed. They didn’t understand her occupation and its importance. That was fine. She was used to their ignorance and bigotry. 

Hunk, in contrast, had been one of the most obvious members. From a young age, word quickly spread throughout the kingdom of the diplomatic abilities he held. He was kind and firm. With him negotiations between empires would be easy. However, it surprised everyone when he had decided to study under the castle’s chefs instead of the Ambassador. When asked by Pidge, he would simply answer, “I would never be able to work under such a biased individual.” It made sense, in a way. He was never bullied, but Hunk would often be forced as to witness bullying as a child. He had a strong sense of judgement and an excellent taste for food. His position as a chef didn’t stop him from joining the trio. Court members loved to gossip and say that his abilities were so perfect that he could not stop the pull of diplomacy. They were wrong. While Hunk was certainly a wonderful representative, he was anxious and would become weaker at the threat of violence. He was even worse at making threats and being intimidating. His biggest strength was his kindness, but that let several openings for countries to take advantage of it. He was well-known for being conscious of the supplies that  Altea  needed and had. His deals were always favorable towards the Kingdom of  Altea . But the only reason he was there was Lance because Lance had been the one to bring them all together. Without him there would be no trio. There would only the same old prejudiced Ambassador.

Lance had been an interesting child. Born and raised to be a diplomat, but never exciting. On paper, he was a terrible diplomat. Flirting and risky moves were never well-received in the public. The fact he had been trained with a gun only amplified negative feelings toward him. The only other thing that dragged him down was that he had spent part of his childhood on a younger and underdeveloped planet. Several believed he did not deserve his place as a lord and that his decisions would never work. They never saw the charisma or effectiveness of his so-called “flirting” at work. Lance was not only sociable by nature but calculating. He was trained in reading body language and knowing what to say. It would make no sense in paper, but it did in practice. But Lance knew he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. He needed someone to watch his back and control his sudden impulses. He needed someone to give him information on each person. That’s where Hunk and Pidge came in. It was pure luck he had been able to make friends with them. They created an almost perfect balance in the team. Their work together had created a strong bond between them.

So, when Pidge heard that Lance had been shot, she knew she couldn’t stand by idly. Her first move was to summon Hunk immediately. No trio was complete with only two people. They loved each other. Not romantically but platonically. There was no way not to. They were stuck with each other for life. As she walked down to the kitchens, she pondered how life would be different if she hadn’t met them. She would’ve been more temperamental and unhappy. Lonely and she would’ve probably gone mad from the lack of social interaction. She made her way into the kitchen and caught Hunk’s eye. One meaningful stare and they were on their way to the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I named them the Diplomatic Trio because usually they're called the Garrison Trio but they didn't go to the Garrison so they needed something new. I don't know if I really did justice to Hunk's skills as diplomat, so I might add another chapter for them. I'm really excited for the next chapter because it's going to be from Allura's point of view. Then I might add another chapter after that as an epilogue or something. Sorry that the chapters are kinda short.
> 
> Please leave comments and criticism.  
> Thank you.


	5. Allura

Her body shivered with nervousness. She couldn’t wait any longer. Waiting meant that she would soon explode, and she would lose control. Then everything would come crashing down. Her feelings would not wait. They pestered and threatened to climb out of her throat at the wrong moment. She had to get it done. She knew that he probably wouldn’t accept her, but she would stay strong. Her name meant divine counselor ,  if she couldn’t handle this then she was truly not fit to rule. She was Allura of the Royal Family of  Altea .

 She was also young and in love.

“Please! Don’t leave me! I love you! I know that you might not feel the same, but at least let me live with the fact that you know this! Don’t leave! Lance!”

He turned around. All she could see in his clear blue eyes  was  pity.  His bandages were a stark contrast to the dark blue of his clothes.

“Allura, I’m sorry, I can’t say I feel the same.”

Everything came crashing down. Her heart broke. But what was she expecting? She knew he probably didn’t return her feelings. She saw the glances between them. The subtle flirts. The way they fought together. Lance had only ever had eyes for him. She had known all this. It would be wrong to say that it didn’t hurt, but she had expected this.

“I have to leave. I’m going to be with him, Allura. At least, I’ll keep you in my heart. Like a sister. One day, you’ll find someone better to love you.” He had stated it so sadly. It drove the knife in her heart deeper. He had loved her. Just not like she loved him.  _ Like a sister.  _ It was a nice gesture, but it didn’t stop the tears streaming down her face. But he was already gone. He had already walked away. Walked towards the one he  actually loved . 

“I know. I know! I know, damnit, I know! I knew, yet I  messed  up so badly! Of course, he didn’t love me! Why couldn’t you keep it in, Allura? Why couldn’t you have just moved on silently? He didn’t have to know!” She wasn’t talking to anyone but herself. Now, he knew. He had to. If he didn’t, then it would never go away. Maybe she could move on now. Or maybe she would never move on. It hurt like nothing had ever hurt before. Why? Why did it have to be him? Why did she even fall in love in the first place?

“What is love?”

The question struck her suddenly and she walked back to her room. Thinking and pondering. Hiding the tears and sobs that would almost escape her mouth. As she entered the chamber, she took in the walls that were d ye d with the fading light outside and the bright colors that would usually cheer her up. The blues and pinks seemed to be sadder now. They reminded her of flowers. Weeping for rain and care. She paced around lost in thought. 

“What is it? This strange thing called love? A question that has left the lips of many with a bittersweet taste. Everyone can feel it and enjoy it, yet it brings such pain and devastation. Such a tiny seed of a feeling grows into a catalyst for destruction. In the end, it takes priority over everything else. It causes one to make irrational decisions at the turn of a hat. Still, it is unstoppable, and before we know it, we are blown away and completely in over our heads. Such a little thing that brings the strongest to their knees. It cripples and deceives with a warm and strong emotion.”

 A small sigh escapes her lips as she sits down on her bed. She stares at the painting of her mother across from her. The large silver frame took up almost half the wall and was devoid of any precious jewels around the edge as to not draw attention away from the portrait. Her mother had been a kind soul. The bond she shared with her father could only be described as a pure form of love. It seemed that the same would not apply to her.

“I thought that I would be able to resist. I spent my days making sure I would not be trapped. Was it all a waste of time? Somehow, there were gaps in my armor that lead me to be in love. However, now that I have felt it, I find it hard to despise. It leaves my heart with an ache and a hole to be filled, yet I can’t bring myself to hate it. Nor can I hate the man who left such misery inside me.”

A bigger sigh leaves her as she falls back on the mattress, staring at the canopy above.

“I loved him, yet he loved another. I had already decided not to fuss. If he didn’t love me there would be no way to force him to when a different person already occupied his heart. It makes me wonder about what I have done. I fell so easily. I laughed without care and found myself hoping he would like me more. It made no sense. Nothing does when you’re in love, I suppose. I thrived on the chaos the feeling brought. The floods of emotion in my mind. I saw more and became blind at the same time. I could only see him. Just him. Why? When we were first introduced, he was nothing. He was just a future lord I would have to be acquaintances with. How did he grow into so much more? There was nothing special and it was  definitely not  destiny. It was just a brief meeting set up by parents.”

She can still remember the day like it was yesterday. Back then there had been no suitors for she was too young. The members of the court had high expectations for what she would accomplish during her rule. They showered her in compliments of intelligence and strength. Lance was the only one who saw her for who she was. Lance was never one to base a person off their accolades. He would observe their personality and somehow made friends with everyone he met. They met in the garden. A quick hello and then Lance went back to hide behind his mother. It wasn’t friendly or rude. It was controlled, neutral political meeting at a young age. 

“I question the nature of this emotion. Why? Why is love part of being human? It is truly mysterious. It frightened me for so long just like everything else unknown to me. I tried to ignore the thoughts that popped into my head urging me to get closer, to act better, look better, and do everything for him. I had dedicated everything in pursuit of him. As a result, I was burned. My attempts were futile and fruitless. It was impossible. This man would never love me. Who was he to tear down my walls and set fire to my heart ? It was by Fate’s cruel hand for the small acts of kindest he gave to me. I had held those actions so close to my heart that by the time everything was ignited I hadn’t realized how much I cared about them. Was it all for naught? What have I gained from such a useless endeavor?”

Questions flooded her head and an idea took root.

“Perhaps it would be better if I didn’t love. I yearn for a chance to forget it. Why is it that I find I can’t let go? Even with all the suffering it has brought upon me, I am unable to lose faith in it. With that said, I return to my original query. What is this strange emotion that has brought me torment? It has defeated all logic. How did I fall in love? How was it that I harmed myself with the interests of only him in my mind?  Now I have become useless and all I can do is wait. With time I wish to rebuild my defenses before I fall again. Will I ever be safe from such a feeling? I can only rely on time to tell me. Everything else will boy down before love, but time stands alone. The mortality of our  lives  looms over my shoulder as I reminder that I have no time for such frivolous matters. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to stop loving him. From what I have heard, it never is. One day, I may come to love another, but, for now, I will only wait. There is no time for emotions of that level. I can only cast aside love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have decided to do an epilogue. I'm still on the fence about adding another chapter of the Diplomatic Trio. I might add Keith in though as a bodyguard person. The monologue that Allura does was kinda written before this work was even started so the style of talking might be a bit contradictory to how it was previously, especially when compared to the Adam chapter. All I know is I wrote the monologue as a way to practice a formal kind of speech. This was honestly the chapter that started it all. I think a bit of an explanation in the contrasting formal and informal speech patterns could be explained by their upbringing and heritage. Pidge, Adam, and Shiro aren't as formal because they were raised with a less formal and stiff family. Lance, Allura, and Keith all come from very distinguished positions, so they have been educated to speak formally.
> 
> Please leave comments and criticism.  
> Thank you!


	6. Hunk Pt.1

Hunk knew what it was like to be talked about. Constantly. There had been a brief phase in his childhood where ever member of the court watched his every move  in an attempt to  either raise him up or bring him down. At that time, he had gained the anxiety he had today. The feeling of eyes observing his every move made him extremely nervous. He couldn’t hold onto the notion that it was only because he had done something great. He felt like a criminal trapped in jail. Everyone had expected him to study under the Ambassador. But the Ambassador was old and scary. He was most certainly biased and not knowledgeable about  current affairs among the people in  Altea . He held onto old ideas of greatness and the glory of war. Hunk saw the truth. Altea was not the perfect country the Ambassador had tried to paint. It explained why the diplomat wasn’t sent often to meetings. However, the Ambassador had come from a truly powerful family. No one dared to confront or object to him. The best they would do was feign complete disinterest. There was no way Hunk could train under such a twisted man.

He became a chef. Cooking had instructions, but it also had freedom. There were measurements and rules. Specific guidelines to follow. This created structure. With structure came security. The freedom was an extra precaution he had taken. Cooking allowed his mind to wander into new territories think about subjects he had never been allowed to have an interest in before. It was nice to no longer be watched. The pressure was too much. He would never let himself be trapped again. Earth cuisine interested him the most. It was a young planet, but it seemed that the natives had wonderful sense of flavor and taste. They seemed to understand the nuances of cooking and the different cultures that fit on the one small planet were astonishing. It was surprising to see how so many dishes could come from this one planet. He had met Lance on a trip to the planet. It was supposed to be a quick trip. In and out. Get some ingredients and recipes then get to the kitchen. They had landed in a country named Cuba and thanks to their translation collars they were able to navigate the streets. 

Lance had bumped into him on accident. He had been flirting with a girl and slapped in the face. Unfortunately, that slap landed him in the arms of Hunk. Seeing as he worked in the castle, it didn’t take long for him to recognize Lance. His reputation as a flirt had seemed to be the truth, and Hunk couldn’t help but feel sympathy at the thought of being gossiped about. The mere thought almost made him panic.

“Hey! You’re Hunk, right? Your food is absolutely amazing!”

The words that left his mouth were new. No one had ever told him that. It was rare for anyone to really recognize his status as a chef in the castle. He could feel pride filling his chest. He stood taller and braced for some double-edged compliment to follow. 

“Thanks. I am honored that you think so, young Lord McClain.”

“Please, don’t be so stiff. Loosen up!”

He had not expected that. Members of the court were always cold and uptight. They were never as relaxed or open as Lance. It was  definitely different . People were simply never this nice on a whim. They always had some idea of political gain nudged in the back of their mind.

“Um, Lance, right?”

“Yep.”

“Why are you here?”

They talked for several  vargas . Hunk hadn’t even noticed that the head chef had left him. Until they finished. He had thought that would be the end of all interaction. That’s what it was like with all the lords. A brief conversation and reference to his skills in diplomacy then they would lose interest completely. Not with Lance, apparently. He was found in the castle the very next day. Hunk could never shake the feeling that they were stuck with each other forever.

Pidge was an interesting girl to meet. Lance had promised that she was hilarious and brilliant. Hunk could respect that, but he was met with a cold and disconnected girl. It was clear that she was wary of strangers and any change or threat they might bring. That was something Hunk could relate with. That fear would never go away. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be nice to her though. Even though her family loved her, she seemed lonely. Perhaps she was isolating herself on accident? Hunk made sure to bring her food and deserts that he had made. Slowly, she  opened up  and Hunk could see why Lance liked her. Though she could be quite sarcastic and sharp, it was clear that she cared seriously for them as friends and would always be trustworthy. Her work with technology was nothing to scoff at either. Being in her presence seemed to reignite the passion for the craft he had lost as a child.

Hunk had been raised in a generally poor family. His father was a mechanic and his mother, a housewife. He had been considered a small genius for his affinity towards engineering that he had picked up from his father. This got him into the  Altean  Academy for Upcoming Talents, the school that rarely accepted those from common wealth. As a member of the lower classes, Hunk was often looked down upon and occasionally bullied. However, this somehow fueled his desire for justice. He wanted to be able to solve problems peacefully. He saw that fighting was useless. It could only bring suffering for both parties. His hatred of violence led him to learn about the art of negotiation. The power of words seemed out of his reach and he loved how eloquent it could be, especially in contrast to his bulky size. People of the higher court seemed to take interest in this and would often try to fund him for his favor towards their individual causes. Their efforts were fruitless. The pressure was endless. In the end, cooking was his savior. His mother had comforted him with food, and Hunk sought to pay her back. He studied hard and the passion he felt every time for the art was incomparable to anything else.

Anxiety was a somewhat familiar ordeal by now. The feeling of almost choking from the lack of oxygen. The increased heartrate. Irritated skin. Increase in temperature. General discomfort. The need for balance and rules. Some stability to cling too. Hunk could list them  off of  the top of his head. Years of diplomacy and he still got nervous. Usually this would be looked down upon, but Lance always reassured him that it was fine. Completely natural. That reasoning was one of his reminders. The symptoms of anxiety were not his fault they were simply a natural reaction to the distress he felt. Everything would be completely fine. If only his brain would get the memo. After all, it happened every time they had to go as representatives.

This time was different. There was Keith. The  Galran  Prince. He was protective and hot-headed which could provide a challenge, but his presence was also helpful. It gave them an intimidation factor they often lacked. At first sight, Hunk could look intimidating, but he would never be able to follow through. Lance wasn’t intimidating at all. He was charming, but that didn’t mean people wouldn’t try to take advantage of him. Keith was the “don’t mess with me” person they had needed to be complete. He was also their first line of defense in the case of an attack. Overall, it was a good addition to have, but he couldn’t be permanent. His impulses were hard for him sometimes, seeing as the  Galra  was a race that favored their instincts in battle. His presence also took a blow to the carefree and charming cover Lance presented. The threatening glare could react negatively with a hostile race and could severely sabotage a deal. However, this ball was held to celebrate a royal marriage. The planet was neutral, so several races gathered in hopes of gaining favor and building stronger connections among them.  It was the ideal event for Lance to flirt and charm. Keith seemed to understand that, but that didn’t stop Lance from focusing  all of  his attention on his beloved. Person after person seemed approach him, as always, but he would politely turn them down. Somehow, this attracted more.

Eventually, it went so far as for a patron to challenge Keith. The alien was handsome, but Lance only held eyes for Keith. Blue skin shone under the chandeliers and antennas stood at attention atop his hair. He wore a white suit with golden buttons and cufflinks. His outfit, while simple, was clearly made to be tight and accent the muscles he had. He wasn’t overly built but he had more of a lead build hinting at a small bit of agility in exchange for more strength. He had pink eyes and a dark blue hair. From his side, he drew a sword out and prepared to fight, declaring his name and title as Lord  Ulifes . Keith, on the other hand, wasn’t always considered especially attractive. Objectively, yes, his dark hair and grey eyes were intriguing and mysterious. But he was terrible at first impressions. However, there was always one thing he would not fail at. Fighting. Born to a race of fighters, Keith had been trained from a young age, and it seemed that this was not the first time his reputation had been challenged.

The fight was fast paced from the beginning. Keith struck first in a startlingly fast lunge forward. By a mere second, was  Ulifes  able to block the sword and recover from his surprise. Keith’s attacks were relentless and  Ulifes  was put on defense for a while. No one had warned him of Keith’s strength when it came to Lance. It was unrivaled, a perk from being a couple blessed by  Orachiton . His sword arced through the air faster and faster.  Ulifes  could barely spot an opportunity to strike, but when he did it became  a fairly obvious  weak point. The  Galran  favored his left side, presumably because his other half fought on the right. With a quick blow,  Ulifes  jabbed at his right side and Keith barely dodged. This was then followed by a flurry of jabs from his opponent, slowly shifting the favor of the match. Before they knew it  both of the weapons  in their hands were shot.

The crowd gasped at the sight of Lance wielding a staff. In formal events, swords were permitted and seen as a sign of chivalry and bravery. Staffs were controversial. They  were seen as  signs of power and magic, but they could also be seen as declarations of war. Whispers broke out among the audience as they waited to see who would move first from their frozen state.

“Keith, stand down. It would’ve been best if you had simply talked instead of fighting.”

The look that overtook the prince’s face had never been seen before. The face of pure embarrassment. 

“Yes, Lance.”

More whispers ran through the audience at the docile act.

“Lord  Ulifes , I understand that you hold some semblance of feelings for me. However, I must decline for I am already engaged to Prince Keith as you see. I thank you for your kind expressions, but I cannot let you get away with challenging my fiance. It is not honorable to fight at such a wonderful celebration of love. With that, I wish you happiness in your own pursuit.”

“Very well, Lord McClain. I shall respect your relationship. I appreciate your well-wishes and I hope you know your own worth. I would dare to say you are one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen.”

“Now, now, Lord  Ulifes . Save those words for your future spouse. I’m sure that if they heard you say that they wouldn’t be quite so happy.”

“I suppose you are right. I think that now is an opportune time to leave.”

A small whisper in Keith’s ear made him focus on what Pidge was saying.

“Be glad Lance knows how to handle these things, dingus. You almost threw us into war! Watch your actions or somebody will cut off your dick. Then what will Lance love you for?”

A small scoff.

“My personality.”

“Ha. Not likely. Anyways, that dude will probably come back next time with a girlfriend to push in Lance’s face. Then Lance will just be like ‘ O h I’m so happy for you Lord  Sissypants ’  and then Lord  Sissypants  will be like ‘ T hank you’. But the thing is ,  he’ll do it with gritted teeth and stuff . Then later on, he’ll be like ‘ You  terrible person! You stole my girlfriend!’ Then he’ll call on guards are something. ”

“Well, at least, none of the guards stepped in.”

“Yeah, because I disabled their surveillance! Be glad I don’t kill people for fun.”

“You don’t?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is getting much longer than I had expected. The next chapter will also focus on Hunk a bit. I might also give this a legitimate plot instead of floating around with my current excuse of a story. When I first planned this, it was only supposed to be two chapters. Lance and Keith. I don't know how it came to be so long. I promise that I do have a plot in mind. I also have the epilogue planned. I hope that I did justice to Hunk's character because I wasn't really sure about his backstory and how that would shape him.
> 
> Please leave comments and criticism.  
> Thanks.


End file.
